Brain Size Plays Role In Reading

Science & medicine - FLORIDA RESEARCH

Results from a seven-year, University of Florida Brain Institute study indicate the size of each side of the brain could play a part in whether a child has trouble learning to read.

The researchers don't think it matters whether the child's brain is larger on the right or left side - just whether the larger size is opposite of the child's preferred hand.

The researchers tracked 39 Alachua County students from kindergarten through sixth grade and took magnetic resonance imaging scans of their heads to measure brain structures.

The study found the most successful readers were children who had what's known as ``brain asymmetry'' - meaning a right-handed child's brain is larger on the left side, for example.

The children that struggled most with reading had ``reversed asymmetry'' - meaning the larger size of the brain was on the same size as the preferred hand. But the study suggests those children had a better chance of reading well if they came from an average or wealthy home where they were more likely to be exposed regularly to reading.

``This is a new idea for people, that learning ability could depend on brain structure,'' Professor Christiana Leonard said. ``It's important to note that there were no anatomical differences in children from different socioeconomic environments. But if a child has reversed asymmetry, improving the literacy environment becomes especially important.''

USF has a record year - grant money up 26%

The 42-year-old University of South Florida saw an unprecedented 26 percent increase in research grants and contracts in 1997-98 to $135 million.

Key to the increase, USF officials said, was $15 million garnered by the Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute - which earned more grant-collecting clout last year when it was designated a National Cancer Institute Center.

Since 1992-93, USF has collected the second-highest amount of research dollars among the state's 10 public universities. The University of Florida historically collects the most because of its age and size. UF collected $280 million last year, a 15 percent increase over 1996-97. Florida State University collected $88.8 million, a 1 percent increase.

Study rides herd on cattle ranches

Can cows and nature co-exist? That's the question University of Florida researchers will try to answer in the next three years as part of an environmental-impact survey aimed at cattle ranching.

The $750,000 study sponsored by the federal government will seek to determine how many head of cattle a ranch can support before runoff pollutes nearby water sources. The study will try to determine whether ranchers can earn a profit if their herds are restricted to that number. The study will also try to determine how cattle density affects wildlife in grazing lands.

Most of Florida's 1 million cattle are on ranches south of Tampa and Orlando, with many on the north side of Lake Okeechobee. Runoff from the ranches has been blamed for increasing phosphorous and nitrogen levels in the lake, which drains into the Everglades. UF's study using 140 cows will take place on 1,040 acres of Buck Island Ranch northwest of Lake Okeechobee in Highlands County.